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What would you do if?

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cdbxyz
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Re: What would you do if?

Postby cdbxyz » Sun Jan 24, 2021 11:00 am

Toby wrote:
Sat Jan 23, 2021 2:00 pm
To confirm:

Launch with one hand on the bar (next to center) and other on QR.

Then you either can’t hold the bar or can release immediately.
This. It’s not complicated. If you launch and you have a line issue you haven’t spotted on pre flight and end up getting dragged, your hand is also conveniently on the chicken loop to activate first stage safety.

Sometimes I wonder what people are being taught/or not in lessons nowadays.

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Re: What would you do if?

Postby PullStrings » Sun Jan 24, 2021 11:13 pm

matth wrote:
Sat Jan 23, 2021 12:06 am
I'm just trying to think how you got lofted in 16 to 18knts.....doesn't sound right..
Same here
10 sqm kites usually have a range of 14 to 30 knots with 22 knots for sweet spot
Maybe that wind measurement was estimated....from hand help instrument...or from nearby weather station...and it was quite more ?
Dense wind....gradient wind ?
Maybe the bar was with the front lines at full length with zero depower applied ?
Maybe the kite was launched upward fast from launch and when loop came out & bar got quick to full power he had super tight back lines ?
Yep puzzling
Last edited by PullStrings on Mon Jan 25, 2021 7:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: What would you do if?

Postby Matteo V » Mon Jan 25, 2021 3:24 am

PullStrings wrote:
Sun Jan 24, 2021 11:13 pm
I teach people to land kites on it's wingtip at edge of window and wait patiently
Careful! Apparently that now makes you a guide, which is illegal in some states.

I can't belive what things have come to.

Just added another state to my no go list.

Look in the snow forum.

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Re: What would you do if?

Postby OzBungy » Mon Jan 25, 2021 4:13 am

My two cents. Almost every situation you encounter in kiteboarding is an act of problem solving. I am here. I want to be there. I do this and this and this to make that happen.

The situations vary. The techniques you can apply are relatively few. Pull this. Pull that. Let go. Run.

The key to safe launching is to a) get good at launching, and b) get good at anticipating events and consequences and ways to mitigate what is happening.

The idea is absurd that there is only one special way of launching and if you do that special thing then everything will be alright. The moment anything varies from your pre-configured setup is when everything goes to shit.

My recipe is:
- Prepare well. Check everything. Don't assume something is ok because it was last time.
- Look for potential hazards and have a plan to deal with them.
- Break the launch process up into smaller steps that you can abort from at any time. Setup. Walk into position. Tension lines. Lift wing. Lift kite. Steer to a safe position. Check everything all the time. Understand that some of the steps can be brief and fast due to conditions.
- Practice, practice, practice. I self launch and land *almost* exclusively. I've done it thousands of times in dozens of locations and tried all the techniques. I am happy enough to accept assistance if it is available and/or necessary.

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Re: What would you do if?

Postby happytrees » Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:11 am

I'm with everyone here :thumb:
But just to add a tip for you Captain
If your chicken loop detaches(suicide mode) and the bar gets ripped out of your hands at 10m DONT give up
Just work your way, hand over hand back up too the bar :rollgrin:
Last edited by happytrees on Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: What would you do if?

Postby Herman » Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:21 am

I have a similar attitude to Ozbunny. My sort of pragmatic view is that I am perfectly to happy to launch entirely unhooked-or not, and I am perfectly happy for a good experienced rider to make his own choice. For the weekender I rather he went to a different beach, but if he is here I rather he hooked in just before the roll up to tip or release from assistant.

What I find strangest is, as far as I know there is no universal name for the, what I call roll up to tip self launch. Anybody got a snappy name for this method?

PS I think the single rear line launch should be called the edt! I would also rather the weekender leashed in as soon as as he goes to the rigged bar!
Last edited by Herman on Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: What would you do if?

Postby evan » Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:37 am

Why don't KotA riders accidentally unhook? They need to ride without locking the chickenloop to perform megaloop handlepasses etc.

You can ride, launch and boost perfectly fine without (working) donkeydick, just get used to not pull to bar in so far that you unhook. That is why most people accidentally unhook, because they rely on their donkeydick to keep the loop into the hook while the best way to keep you hooked in is to keep tension on the hook.

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Re: What would you do if?

Postby Herman » Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:02 am

Back in the day people learnt to landboard with small C kites and you unhooked at the end of each reach to do your transition, meant you could just let go rather than being dragged and QR’s were rubbish in those days. I can still remember how strange it felt to stay hooked in. Modern gear means most people miss out on the build up of unhooked skills unless they go in for freestyle. Not many unhooking in the waves either.

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Re: What would you do if?

Postby Havre » Mon Jan 25, 2021 12:06 pm

I'm not sure if I am allowed to reply to posts written by Herman, but interesting dilemma in my opinion raised.

I have had one launch kind of similar to the one in the OP. I catch myself being a bit lazy some times before launching so that after hooking in there might not be enough tension for the chicken loop to stay in place. Obviously not an issue if you double check or just keep one hand around it - which then is also the hand ready to release if necessary. But most things are not an issue before they are. It slipped, but I wasn't powered up enough for it to cause much of an issue - other than the embarrassment trying to get the kite under control for half a second or so. I remember that day well (it was in Cumbuco) and that session was rather boring - as I was underpowered. So personally I would like to have more power than me being able to quite easily control my kite full sheeted in on the beach flying it unhooked. Obviously grabbing the chicken loop sheeting out and problem solved, but if you are already flying with both hands on the bar that might not be an option.

I have only seen this happen a couple of times. Or I have never seen anyone being launched up in the air, but I have seen a couple being thrown along the beach before letting go. So I'm not sure if it requires much of a solution for this specific issue, but I do prefer launching with only one hand. Then you will never end up like the OP. It also makes it much more likely that you are able to release quickly. And you don't have to awkwardly bend over trying to have to hands on the bar when first launching. Seems like a win in every way you look at it. Then there are some situations where the wind and/or spot is so tricky you might need to launch quickly or you would have to quickly adjust your kite. I guess you just have to accept this risk then.

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Re: What would you do if?

Postby Herman » Mon Jan 25, 2021 1:45 pm

Havre,
You are more than welcome to reply or put me right anytime that post was a joke. I freely admit my original answer addressed the op’s preamble rather than his actual question etc. Now this thread has migrated even more. I think you are right to have a dilemma because I don’t think there is one panacea for all occasions. If I thought hard enough I might even be able to come up with a situation where I would have both hands on the bar but it would be a rare event. But that does not answer my most burning question.

What should we call a roll onto tip self launch, it deserves a name??????
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